


They Were The Shadows

by AnotherGallavichLove



Series: Prompts [32]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Angst, Getting Back Together, Hospital, M/M, post 5x12
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-21
Updated: 2015-09-21
Packaged: 2018-04-22 17:45:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4844576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnotherGallavichLove/pseuds/AnotherGallavichLove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on this prompt: After the break up with Ian, Mickey ends up in hospital for serious damage to the spine because of Sammi and there is a chance that he can no longer walk.Ian heard the news goes to the hospital to see him and he finds the Milkovich's Brothers who know all about him and Mickey and are not happy to see him</p>
            </blockquote>





	They Were The Shadows

Ian walked into the hospital, not knowing how he felt. How he should feel.

 

It was as if his entire body was aching.

 

His head, his legs, his throat.

 

His heart.

 

It felt as if everything moved in slow motion.

 

The lights kept flickering as he made his way through the building, trying desperately to ignore the people around him, the ones that weren’t ever going to be okay again.

 

As he finally found where he was supposed to wait, he sat down on one of the chairs, shutting the noises out.

 

He didn’t want to do this. He didn’t want to sit here and wait.

 

He felt helpless, he couldn’t do anything.

 

He _needed_ to do something.

 

He needed to explain himself, or have someone tell him what exactly was going on.

 

He needed to fix everything. He wanted to wake up.

 

But he couldn’t.

 

Because it wasn’t a dream, and there was nothing, nothing at all, that he could do to fix any of it.

 

Ian didn’t know how long he sat there with his head buried in his hands. It could have been ten minutes, it could have been a couple of hours.

 

Maybe even a couple of days. He had no way to register time at this point.

 

All he could focus on was those damn flickering lights in the ceiling and how his heart was beating so hard he could feel it against his rib cage.

 

”Gallagher?” A voice made Ian finally lift his head.

 

”Yeah” He croaked, running a hand through his hair.

 

Ian looked at Iggy and Colin, trying to understand the look on their faces. It didn’t go very well, fuck Ian felt so gone he barely knew what he was thinking himself.

 

”What are you doing here?” Iggy asked, crossing his arms.

 

”I um… I just… I heard… and I thought… I just… I needed to…” Ian shook his head to try to clear it best he could. ”You heard anything?”

 

Colin looked to his brother for a second before opening his mouth.

 

”He’s not good. But what the fuck's it to you?”

 

”I…” _I love him_ ”I care about him”

 

”Then you shouldn’t have dumped his ass” Colin said, and Iggy occupied a chair a couple down from Ian’s.

 

”I - ”

 

”Your fault he’s in here, you know” Colin seemed surprised at his brother’s statement, but he also seemed to agree.

 

”How is it my fault?” Ian choked, not knowing if he should get out of this conversation.

 

”Lots of reasons” Colin said, choosing not to elaborate.

 

”Can’t give you a beat down, Mick would never let that shit go. But just know that if it wasn’t because of your ass, he’d be just fine” Iggy said, and then the two brothers stood up, leaving Ian behind them.

 

 

”Ian?” Ian lifted his head at his little sister’s voice.

 

”Hey” He croaked, voice sore from barely speaking a word in two days.

 

”Figured you’d want something other than hospital food” She said, shaking the tupperware container she was carrying.

 

”Did they let you in to see him yet?” Ian shook his head.

 

”Nah, the doctors talked to me some, but I can’t visit yet. Just family”

 

Debbie nodded, sitting down next to him with a sigh.

 

”How bad is it?” Ian snorted, willing himself not to cry.

 

”Um… bad” Was all he managed to croak out as an answer.

 

”I’m sorry” She said, wishing she could come up with something more original than that.

 

Something that would actually make her brother feel better, if only for the moment being.

 

”Is it… true that it’s all my fault?” Ian asked, turning his head to his right to look at Debbie.

 

She ran a hand through her hair.

 

”I know that you’re sick. And I know that it’s hard. But if you want the truth… yes. A lot of this is because of you. Mickey was there for you, he changed his entire life to be a good boyfriend, ghetto husband, whatever, and you just dropped him. You didn’t give a shit. Even before you actually dumped him”

 

Ian sighed deeply, registering her words.

 

She was right.

 

 

The next morning, Ian still hadn’t moved from his chair in the bright waiting room.

 

”Hey” Ian looked up at the voice.

 

”Hi”

 

”They let you see him yet?” Carl asked, sitting down next to his older brother.

 

”No. I don't know, maybe I should just leave” 

 

”Why?” Ian shrugged, sighing.

 

”I mess everything up. This is all my fault” He let out a chuckle, but there was only sadness in it.

 

”So?” Carl asked, making Ian snap his head to the side to look at him. ”You can’t change whatever your stupid ass did, if you leave now then you’re only messing this up too”

 

Everyone was convinced Carl was a dumb, future serial killer, but he was actually pretty brilliant.

 

”You think it’s too late?” Ian didn’t have to elaborate.

 

”Maybe. Maybe not. You’re not gonna find out if you just walk out of here”

 

”I’m never gonna get through this shit, Carl” Ian sighed, burying his head in his hands, clamping his eyes shut.

 

”’Course you will” Carl said. ”I got past the monsters”

 

Ian furrowed his brows and looked to his brother.

 

”What?”

 

”Don’t you remember the monsters?” Ian still looked clueless, so Carl rolled his eyes. ”They were the shadows. When I was a kid, I was screaming like a little bitch because I thought they were gonna like eat me or something” Ian chuckled at the memory. ”You let me sleep in your bed, and you explained that they weren’t monsters. They were nothing. I got through it. You’ll get through this”

 

Ian managed a small smile.

 

”You both will” Carl added, and Ian nodded.

 

Carl was right, any other possibility just seemed too scary.

 

 

It was only a few hours after Carl had left, that Ian finally got his chance to see Mickey.

 

Thankfully, the Milkovich brothers were nowhere to be seen.

 

He took a deep breath, and pushed the door open.

 

Since Mickey’s injuries were so severe, he had his own recovery room, and Ian took a moment to just admire him.

 

Mickey was laying on his back in bed, eyes closed, breathing steadily.

 

The man was so fucking beautiful, and Ian wondered how the fuck he had managed to take him for granted.

 

When he and Mickey first had started up, each time Ian had laid eyes on him, he had been memorized.

 

Shocked over the fact that he got to have this beautiful boy all to himself, in secret or not.

 

Over time, that feeling had faded, and faded, until Ian was just sick of his presence.

 

How that had happened, Ian didn’t know. Because as he stood there, in the doorway, looking at him, he melted.

 

Just as he had the first time he had laid eyes on him back when they used to play baseball together back in first grade.

 

The had come so fucking far, and it didn’t matter whether Mickey ended up fully recovering or not, Ian knew that he would never leave his side again.

 

”Mickey?” Ian whispered, not expecting it to reach Mickey’s ears on the other side of the room.

 

”Ian?” But it did.

 

Ian closed the door behind him and walked over to the bed, sitting down on the chair that was already standing near by.

 

 

”I’m here, Mick” Ian said, not bothering to apologize for all the shit that had gone down. He would eventually, but for right now, he just wanted to look at Mickey and assure him that he was really next to him.

 

”Why?” Ian’s heart broke even a little bit more at the weakly uttered word.

 

”Because I love you” Mickey’s eyes blinked open, connecting with Ian’s.

 

”They told me you’ve been here all week” Ian nodded.

 

”Of course” Ian whispered, carefully grabbing Mickey’s hand, thankful when there was no resistance.

 

”I can’t… feel” Mickey said then, looking anywhere but Ian.

 

”Your body?” Ian asked, although he already knew the answer. Mickey nodded.

 

”My fucking torso… legs. Just… nothing”

 

Ian squeezed Mickey’s hand, thankful when the gesture was returned.

 

Ian didn’t know what exactly had gone down between Mickey and Sammi to make his injuries this bad, and he didn’t want to.

 

He wasn’t sure he would be able to handle it.

 

”You don’t gotta be here, man. No use. Can’t even fuck”

 

Ian let out a sad chuckle, leaning forwards and pressing their foreheads together.

 

”If you think I’m here to get laid, I think your brain’s pretty damaged too”

 

Mickey sighed, closing his eyes and enjoying the feeling of being this close to Ian.

 

”You were there for me. I’m here for you - ”

 

”Gall - ”

 

”Not _because_ you were there for me, but because I love you” Ian promised. ”It’s gonna be hard as fuck, okay? Not just this…” Ian gestured to Mickey’s legs. ”But with everything that happened before too” Mickey nodded. ”But I’m not letting you go, Mick. If me spending a week in a plastic chair in a waiting room to see you doesn’t tell you that, then I don’t know what will”

 

Mickey nodded, moving to the side slightly, silently inviting Ian onto the small bed.

 

Ian carefully laid down and pulled Mickey to his side, pressing a kiss to his hair.

 

”I’m never gonna walk again”

 

”You don’t know that”

 

”It’s possible” Ian sighed, pulling them even closer together.

 

”We’ll figure it out”

 

”We?”

 

”Yeah. You’re the love of my life, Mick.”

 

”You mean that?”

 

Ian smiled at the fact that there was nothing but general curiosity in the question.

 

”Yeah, I do. I’m so sorry for everything, baby”

 

Mickey’s entire body almost seemed to relax as he heard the nickname he so many times had pretended to hate.

 

”I love you” Mickey whispered, and then he fell asleep, curled up against Ian.

 

_Don’t you remember the monsters? They were the shadows._

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact: The whole 'Don't you remember the monsters?' thing is from Dexter, and I have 'Remember the monsters?' tattooed on my arm.


End file.
